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Hamas' three requests before talks: `Withdrawal of Israel from Gaza; lift the unjust siege; open all border crossings'

Hamas: `Immediate withdrawal of Israel from Gaza; lift the unjust siege; open all border crossings -- With an open mind, we will deal with any initiatives based on these three requests'

In a speech from Damascus on January 11, 2009, Khalid Mish'al, head of the Hamas political bureau, spoke on Israel's 15-day assault on the Gaza Strip. This edited text of the televised address appeared on the Socialist Unity website. For earlier statements from Hamas, see http://links.org.au/node/842.

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The Zionists wanted to impose a humiliating
defeat on us because the only obstacle to confront them is resistance,
especially in the Gaza Strip.

Perhaps
the Zionists, because of the difference between the resistance in
Lebanon and Gaza, thought that in comparison with Hezbollah, we were
weak and they could regain the reputation of their army following its
defeat in Lebanon. They tried to use the territories of Gaza to show
their military might.

So this is a battle of demonstrating military
strength, a fight or war to impose a defeat on our people. The Zionists
thought that we were the weakest. However, the Zionists were surprised
by the resistance.

All our supporters in the Arab and Islamic
world as well as the West should be sure that the resistance in Gaza is
in its best situation.

The resistance was able to absorb the strikes
of the enemy and then take the initiative and day by day, we are seeing
new surprises by the Palestinian resistance.

Just less than two hours ago we struck the airbase of Balnakhim which is 50 kilometers away from the Gaza Strip.

The enemy had assigned aims for itself to
achieve. These aims are now lessening with the passing of time. Israel
wanted to destroy Gaza, wanted to end Hamas’ control of Gaza as it
said, the enemy wanted to destroy the resistance in Gaza, wanted to
stop the rockets from Gaza.

But what are the Israelis left with today? They
are now focusing and targeting north Gaza and are demolishing peoples’
houses over their heads while trying to enter north Gaza and stop the
rockets. However, the heroic resistance has not allowed them to make
progress. In the south, they are trying to stop weapons reaching Hamas.
They are trying to impose new realities whereby with the new situation
they can negotiate for what better suits them, for instance in the
Security Council.

They are trying to send a message to the
Israeli population that they are victorious; that they have imposed new
realities, in order to cover up their defeats in these 15 days. But
very frankly the enemy has achieved nothing.

Let us make calculations. What has the enemy
achieved? I can say with all confidence according to facts on the
ground that from a military perspective the enemy has failed
completely. Have they stopped rockets being launched? Now they are
talking about ways to stop the rockets. They want to impose new facts
on southern Gaza so they can guarantee their security as they allege.
But they have not attained any of their aims. So what have they
achieved?

The enemy has succeeded in one thing. In
addition, to covering up for their loses, Israelis do not confess to
their causalities and deaths among their soldiers. They prevent the
media from entering into Gaza. Israel tries to cover up these losses by
talking about friendly fire and road accidents. But the truth will come
out and the Zionists will discover how many people they have lost and
the magnitude of their failure in Gaza. They also try to trick the
world and show that they have gone deep into Gaza by fabricated TV
footage. They depict by means of false pictures that they have entered
deep into Gaza.

So what has the enemy succeeded in? The enemy
has succeeded in committing murders. Murders against the women and
children of Gaza. Israel has grouped people in houses and then
destroyed the houses. They kidnap people and then execute them in cold
blood.

The enemy has succeeded in bringing about a new Holocaust on Gaza.

Let me now speak to Israelis and Zionists. What
have you achieved in this war that you supported? You supported your
leaders in going ahead with this war, but what have you achieved
besides killing innocent children, breaking skulls and creating an
ocean of blood in Gaza?

What have you achieved except a Holocaust that
your leaders want to use to win the next elections in February?
Palestinian blood is now a means for political achievements in your
elections.

You complain about the Holocaust that was
committed against you, but you today are now committing an even harsher
Holocaust. The Palestinians can now make a museum of your Holocaust in
Gaza…

What prevented the US from allowing Resolution
1860 being passed a week or two weeks ago? They wanted to give Israel a
chance to kill more Palestinians and claim victory over Gaza. But when
the resistance did not back down and Israel failed and when the
magnitude of these massacres were uncovered and the USA and those who
collaborated in this military campaign witnessed the dissent and intifada among the Muslim masses, which carries with it real danger, at that point they let the resolution pass.

But they took the teeth out of (UN Security
Council Resolution) 1860. The resolution is a non-binding cease-fire
with no date specified for the cease-fire.

The question now is about who should implement
the resolution. Those who started the military campaign in the first
place, the Zionists, should implement it and immediately pull out of
Gaza. This is logic.

Concerning us, we want the immediate and
complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the lifting of the
unjust siege on Gaza that has led to the current situation.

Our other request is the opening of all border crossings including the Rafah border crossing.

We, with an open mind, will deal with any initiatives and decisions based on these three requests.

Therefore, we will not accept any negotiations
for a truce in the light of and under the pressure of a military
campaign and siege.

Let the military campaign stop, let the
Israelis withdraw, and let the rights of our people be admitted to, let
them recognize our rights to live without a siege and closed border
crossings, just like other humans, then we are ready to discuss a
truce, just like we did before.

We will not accept a permanent truce, because
it will take the right of resistance from the Palestinian people. The
resistance is against occupation and military campaigns and therefore
as long as occupation exists, resistance will too…

We will also not accept the interference of
international forces because international forces will come only to
protect Israel’s security and any international force imposed will be
considered as occupiers.

We will not accept any talks about
strengthening the ``choke hold'' on the resistance concerning its
weapons. Some are speaking about the tunnels as if Gaza is a super
power with advanced weapons, while we are people with very limited
capabilities to defend our territories and ourselves. No body has the
right to take our legitimate right for defense and resistance. The US,
as if the whole of the Israeli arsenal does not exists, sends hundreds
of tons of explosives and artillery shells to Israel.

In this context, we still sent our delegation
to Cairo to talk about Egypt’s proposal and other political plans. The
November 2005 Rafah crossing agreement, must be reconsidered because
this agreement really promoted the blockade on Gaza and we proposed
different means and methods.

I call on Mr. Mahmoud Abbas -- who called for
national unity in the face of Israel’s attacks -- to declare to the
world that we must agree to a Palestinian partnership between the
Palestinian Authority and Hamas in Gaza, so that we can reach a firm
arrangement in Rafah. This is appropriate choice for you. Anything
besides this has no credibility when it comes to national unity.

We supported national unity from day
one–nNational unity based upon confronting the military campaign, but
this needs honesty and credibility. All political detainees must be
freed and the Palestinians in the West Bank must be free to hold
protests without being arrested. We saw them arrested of course
yesterday. We also call on Mahmoud Abbas to stop cooperating with the
enemy and to stop negotiations with the Israelis. There is no future
for these negotiations…

And to the Arab countries, by God you abandoned
and degraded us. But if you made mistakes in the past go ahead and
correct your mistakes before it is to late… I call on Arab countries
not to welcome any Israeli official in their capitals.

The Arab leaders must coordinate and be aligned
with the will of their people. Moreover, I call on Arab countries that
have relations with Israel to tell the Israelis either that they should
stop their war, or that the Arab countries will stop their relations.

After this resolution, the Muslim Ummah should
not calm down and assume the atrocities are over. Resolution 1860 has
not brought about any changes on the ground. Israel refuses the
resolution and the battle in Gaza is in its most intense phase. What we
need is more stern resistance in Gaza and we need more fierce protests
in the Arab and Islamic world and the international community to
achieve victory for the people of Gaza. We need a third Intifada
(uprising) in the West Bank and a revolution in the Arab, Islamic world
until the enemy withdraws from Gaza, the siege is lifted and the border
crossings are opened.

A very important point is that the Muslim world
should stand by us. In spite of all these massacres committed by
Israel, some say that we are the problem and the massacres are our
fault. These are shameful words. What provided the atmosphere for the
Zionists to boost their reputation (among their people) and to increase
our wounds and impose new circumstances, for example the separation
wall, settlement activities and so on, all happened at the time of
negotiations.

Concerning are casualties and wounded,
resistance cannot liberate without martyrs and casualties. It is better
to achieve victory through martyrs and wounded, instead of having
casualties without resistance and victory.

Some express fear that after all the
sacrifices, the leadership of the resistance may collapse or make a
settlement for example. On the contrary, the blood of our women and
children and people will increase our cohesion and determination to
achieve our aims. It is unjust that after all these massacres to just
go and say lets make a truce. On the contrary, the price of this
bloodshed is freedom and to decide our own destiny and to end the
occupation and siege.